Ore reclaiming machines



Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l 36 a5 55Saz 1 -l fr N mwN-'UR l=2 Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM ORE RECLAIMINGMACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1955 INVENTDR Fl TTORNEY Dec.16, 1958 R, BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTORPwqu, Qumran r11-Tenney Dec. 16, 195s R BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 SheetS-SheetI 4 Fig. s

INVENTGR Pan/L9 BHRTRWM Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM ORE RECLAIMING MACHINESFiled Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheetfsx-Sheet 5 nuvENvol BHPTRHM 2,864,514Patented Dec. 16, 1958 tice ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Ronald Bartram,Bexley, England, assignor to The General Electric Company Limited,London, England Application October 26, 1955, Serial No. 542,999

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 4, 1954 7 Claims.(Cl. 214-10) This invention relates to machines for reclaiming ore andthe like bulk material and of the kind comprising a bridge carried ateach end on bogie arrangements adapted to run on a rail or rails, thedistance between the bogie arrangements being greater than the width ofa pile of material against which the machine is adapted to operate, anda harrow adapted to agitate the face of the pile so as to loosen thematerial on the face of the pile and cause it to fall onto a transverseconveyor running along the length of the bridge and adapted to deliverthe material onto a longitudinal conveyor by the side of the pile ofmaterial, the harrow and the transverse conveyor being carried by thebridge. Reclaiming machines of this kind are described in United StatesLetters Patent Nos. 2,171,528 and 2,423,279, and in machines of thiskind, the bridge usually carries power means for driving the bogiearrangements so as to advance the harrow and transverse conveyor slowlyforward against the pile and for retracting the harrow and transverseconveyor rearwardly to say its starting point, when the pile of materialhas all been transferred to the longitudinal conveyor. In the saidPatent 2,423,279, it is proposed that the harrow and transverse conveyorare rotatable about a horizontal axis so as to permit the bottom of thetransverse conveyor to be raised above the position it occupies innormal operation, so enabling the bridge to be run backwards withoutfear of the bottom of the transverse conveyor being jammed againstmaterial which may have been left behind during the forward run.

In the reclaiming machine described in Patent 2,423,279, the bridge issupported from the bogie arrangements at each end by hinge pins at therear about which hinge pins the bridge rotates, and lifting rams areprovided at the front with a clamping system which ensures that thelifting rams can only be used when the machine is inoperative. The saidmachine possesses some disadvantages such as undesirable movement of thebridge frame being present and one object of the present invention isthe provision of an ore reclaiming machine which has a stable bridge.Another object is to reduce the number of driving motors necessary onthe bridge and to provide a machine of increased etliciency at lowercost.

According to the present invention, in a machine for reclaiming ore andthe like bulk material and of the kind specified, the bridge is arrangedas a single unit integral with the rear wheels of the bogie arrangementsand the front wheels of the bog'e arrangements are capable of movementrelatively to the bridge, the arrangement being such that the bottom ofthe transverse conveyor can be raised above its normal operativepoistion by rotation of the bridge about the axis of the rear wheels ofthe bogie arrangements.

The bogie arrangements at each end of the bridge may comprise threewheels, a single rear wheel integral with the bridge and two frontwheels carried by a compensat- 70 ing bogie, the three wheels being inline and arranged to run on a single rail.

The drive from power means on the bridge for moving the machinebackwards and forwards, may be to the pairs of front wheels of the bogiearrangements and would be through universal couplings to permit relativemovement between the bridge and the compensating bogies.

A single. motor may drive the transverse conveyor and the harrow, themotor being connected through suitable gearing to the conveyor andharrow. A separate motor may be provided for hoisting and lowering theharrow to regulate the angle it makes with the horizontal and a furthermotor may be provided on the bridge for driving both compensating bogiesfor traversing the bridge, the motor driving lineshaft through a changespeed gearbox to enable the bridge to be driven forwards slowly into apile of material and retracted at a higher speed.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, one constructionof a reclaiming machine in accordance with the invention will now bedescribed by way of example with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of theaccompanying drawings in which Figure l shows a plan at floor level ofthe machine which although capable of operating with a fixedlongitudinal conveyor at each side of the pile of material, is shown asoperating with a single fixed longitudinal conveyor, Figure 2 is asection on the line lI-II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section on theline III-Ill in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows a detail and is an elevation ofthe frame of the machine at its connection to one of its bogiearrangements, Figure 5 is a plan View, with gear covers removed of thefront or driving end of a bogie arrangement, Figure 6 is a section onthe line VI-VI in Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a section on the lineVII-VII in Figure 6. Figures 8 and 9 show part side views, in partsection, of the delivery end of a modified machine arranged to operatewith a pile of material on a site where the fixed longitudinal conveyoris situated above ground level and for simplicity, the same referencenumerals have been used in these figures for parts similar to thoseshown in Figures 1 to 7. The two Figures 8 and 9 are parallel sectionsdisplaced, as will be appreciated, a short distance one from the other.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the reclaiming machinecomprises a bridge 1 carried at each end on a bogie arrangement 2comprising three wheels, a single rear wheel 3 (see Figure 4) and twofront wheels 4 carried by a compensating bogie 5. The bridge 1 isarranged as a single unit integral with the rear wheels 3 so that it mayrotate about a horizontal axis to enable a transverse conveyor 39feeding a longitudinal conveyor 34 to be raised and lowered and, as willbe appreciated, this axis is the axis off the rear wheels 3. The twofro-nt wheels 4 at each end of the bridge 1 are housed in theircompensating bogie 5 which is (see Figures 5 and 6) also attached to thebridge by a compensating pin 24 and the compensating bogies 5 areprovided with guide plates 6 (see Figure 7) which work in conjunctionwith similar plates 7 (see Figure 4) on the bridge 1. Between theguideplates 6 of the compensating bogies and the guideplates 7 of thebridge are four pairs of cooperating thrust pads S4, the two pads ofeach pair being attached to the guideplates 6 and the guideplates 7respectively. By means of these thrust pads any transverse forces actingon the bridge are taken directly into the compensating bogies whetherthe bridge be in its raised or lowered position.

The drive to the compensating bogies 5 for traversing the bridge 1 is bymeans of a single motor 8 through a variable speed gearbox 9 and achange speed gearbox 10 equipped with a slow speed reduction for travelinto the pile and a high speed reduction for reverse travel, the box 10being provided with suitable clutches interlocked to provide choice ofspeed of travel. The drive from the change speed gearbox is to alineshaft 11 (see Figure l) running the length of the bridge 1 and maybe directly connected as shown in the drawings to a shaft 12 at each endfitted with universal joints 13, 14, the outer end of each of theseshafts 12 being connected directly to a wormgear 15 (see Figures 5, 6and 7) attached to the compensating bogie 5 and driving a worm wheel 16mounted on a shaft 17 parallel to the plane containing the two frontwheels 4 and itself provided with two wormgears 18 and 19, each wormgear18 or 19 driving a wormwheel 2i) or 21 mounted on the shaft 22 or 23carrying one or the other of the front wheels. This drive arrangement tothe front wheels 4 by way of the universal joints 13, 14 permits thefront of the bridge 1 to be raised and lowered without interfering withthe drive from the single motor 8 to the bogie arrangements fortraversing the bridge.

in order to lift the front of the bridge 1 when it is required to runthe bridge 1 away from the pile, each end of the bridge 1 is providedwith an hydraulic piston and cylinder 25 (see Figure 6) the piston 26being attached to the compensating pin 24 of the associated compensating bogie 5 and the cylinder 27 to the bridge struc ture by across pin 28 (see also Figure 4). above, each compensating bogie 5 isprovided with guide plates 6 between itself and the bridge structure andthe whole of the weight of the bridge 1 at the forward end is carried bythe compensating pins 24 making clamping arrangements unnecessary.Additionally,

when the bridge 1 is lifted, the full lengths of the piston heads 26 areretained in their cylinders 27, thereby providing transverse stability.Moreover, any transverse thrust due to the action of the transverseconveyor 39 is taken up into the compensating bogies by the thrust pads54. The compensating pins 24 are connected with cross pins 29 supportedin bridge extensions 30 (see Figure 4) which are slotted to carrybearings 31 for the cross pins 29 and so arranged that the limit of theupward travel of the bridge 1 is determined by the botl toms of theslots in the extensions 30 coming into contact with the compensatingbearings 31. When the front of the bridge 1 is lifted, the whole bride 1hinges about the rear wheels 3. of the machine relative to thecompensating bogies 5 carrying the front wheels 4 and such movement doesnot interfere with the driving arrangements to the compensating bogies5. Each hydraulic piston and cylinder 25 is supplied by a commonhydraulic pump 32 (see Figure l) mounted on the bridge 1 and driven byan electric motor 33 and suitable control means will be provided for themotor and pump.

The transverse conveyor 39 which delivers material to a longitudinalconveyor 34 (see Figure 2) and which is usually referred to as a ploughconveyor, is required to operate in either direction depending upon thelocation of the longitudinal conveyor 34. As mentioned above, a singlemotor may be provided for the plough conveyor and harrow drive and thismotor 35 (see Figures 1 and 2) is located approximately at centre of thebridge 1 and is connected to a further lineshaft 36 running the lengthof the bridge 1, by means of a rope, chain or other gear unit 37. Theends of this further lineshaft 36 are connected to gearboxes 38 at eachend which comprise a combination of spur and wormgears which are in turnconnected to sprockets 40 of the transverse conveyor 39 by means ofratchet couplings 41 (see Figure l). These couplings 41 automaticallydrive the desired sprocket 40 according to the direction of rotation ofthe motor 35 and retain the tension in the bottom length of the ploughor transverse conveyor 39. From the gearbox 38 at the left hand end inFigure 1, a further gear reduction is added which operates thehorizontal movement of a barrow 42 through a crank, disc, crank andconnecting rod mechanism 43, thus dispensing with the usual separatebarrow drive motor and gear unit.

As described 4.- A harrow hoist motor 55 is provided and the generaloperation of the machine is similar to those described in the saidpatent specification.

Referring now to Figures 8 and 9 which show the delivery end of amachine adapted to operate with a pile of material on a site where thefixed longitudinal conveyor 34 is situated above ground level, braceddistance pieces 44 are inserted between a bogie unit 5 and the bridgestructure toprovide suitable elevation of the transverse conveyor 39above ground. In this case, the traverse lineshaft 11 running the lengthof the bridge 1 is provided with a spur gear 45 (see Figure 9) drivinganother gear 46 mounted on the bridge 1 and connected by way of a shaft47 having universal joints 48 at each end to an elevated extension Shaft49 attached to the compensating unit 5. A chain drive 50 is connectedbetween the extension shaft 49 and the single wormgear shaft 51 of acompensating bogie 5, the chain drive 50 being suitably chosen independence upon the size of the distance pieces 44. The introduction ofthe chain drive 50 allows a limit to be set upon the movement permittedby the universal joints.

In the case of this machine operating with the fixed longitudinalconveyor 34 above ground level, the side supports of the pile would beso arranged that the material being collected by the plough conveyor 39is fed directly onto the longitudinal conveyor 34 via a hopper 52 (seeFigure 8) without the need of lifting the material or directing thematerial into enclosed troughs. Wear and stretch in the plough ortransverse conveyor 39 may be taken up in known manner by means of atension sprocket 53 at each end of the machine, or alternatively byproviding a bedplate and adjusting screws for one of the gear bo-x units38 as shown in Figures l and 2 to enable the whole unit to be movedoutwardly.

in such a case, the relative movement between the gearbox and the motor35 may be obtained by the use of a long splined mutf coupling.

If the transverse or plough conveyor 39 is only required to be driven inone direction to supply a fixed longitudinal conveyor 34 on one sideonly of the pile, the said logitudinal conveyor being either below orabove ground as previously described, then the arrangement of machinedescribed above can be simplified by providing a single conveyor andharrow gear box at one end and omitting the gearbox at the other end forthe plough or transverse conveyor. The ratchet coupling, elevatedtension sprockets, line shafting and other mechanism associated withthis gearbox will also not be required. in this instance the stretch orwear in the plough conveyor will be accommodated by means of atensioning device on the plough tail sprocket.

Fro-m the above description, it will be appreciated that a reclaimingmachine in accordance with the invention includes traversing equipmentconsiderably superior to that used on existing machines and that asimple means is provided for lifting the front of the machine bridge. Asimple driving arrangement is provided for the transverse or ploughconveyor with means for adjustment of the conveyor and the machine maybe used either with a xed longitudinal conveyor or conveyors belowground level or with a longitudinal conveyor or conveyors above groundlevel. An important advantage of operating the longitudinal conveyor orconveyors above normal ground level is that a large saving in the costof foundations is achieved compared with a reclaimer where thelongitudinal conveyor or conveyors is or are below ground level.

claim:

l. A machine for reclaiming ore and like bulk material disposed betweena pair of parallel rails, said machine comprising a pair of bogies eachhaving a single rear wheel and a plurality `of front wheels and each ofsaid bogies running along `a different one of said rails, a bridgecarried at each end on a` different bogie, said bridge constituting asingle unit integral with the rear wheels of said bogies, compensatingbogies disposed one at each end of the bridge and carrying the frontwheels of said `bogies, said compensating bogies being attached to saidbridge by means permitting relative movement between said compensatingbogies and said bridge, lateral thrust-absorbing pads on said bridge andon said compensatingbogies, means carried by said bridge for drivingsaid bogies in either direction along said rails, a harrow carried bysaid bridge and adapted to agitate the face of a pile of materialagainst which the machine is adapted to operate so as to loosen thematerial on the face of said pile, a transverse conveyor carried by, andrunning along the length of said bridge and adapted to deliver theloosened material onto a longitudinal conveyor by the side of said pile,and means for rotating said bridge about the axis of said rear Wheelswhereby the said transverse conveyor can be raised or lowered withrespect to its normal operating position.

2. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of thebogies comprises three wheels, these including a single rear Wheelintegral with the bridge and two front wheels carried by one of thecompensating bogies, the three wheels being in line and adapted to runon a single rail.

3. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive fromthe means carried by the bridge for driving the bogies is to the frontwheels of the bogies through universal couplings.

4. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means carriedby the bridge for driving the bogies comprises a single motor, avariable speed gearbox, a

change speed gearbox, a line shaft and universal couplings, said motorbeing adapted to drive said line shaft through said gearboxes, and saidline shaft being coupled with the said front Wheels of the bogiesthrough said couplings, the arrangement being such that the bridge maybe driven forwards slowly into the pile of material an'd retracted at ahigher speed.

5. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of thecompensating bogies is attached to the bridge by means comprising ahydraulic piston movable vertically in a cylinder, said piston and -saidcylinder being pivotally attached one to the said compensating bogi'eand the other to the said bridge, lan'd wherein the means for rotatingthe bridge about the axis of the rear wheels are adapted to deliveriluid under pressure to said cylinders for rotating the bridge asaforesaid. A

6. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, which includes a singlemotor adapted to drive the said transverse conveyor in either direction,the said motor being adapted also to drive the harrow.

7. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compensatingbogies include lateral guide plates arranged to cooperate with lateralguide plates on the bridge.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,423,279 Wren July 1, 1947 2,475,443 Bill July 5, 1949 2,694,581 HelmleNov. 16, 1954 2,740,213 Barrett Apr. 3, 1956

